Old Mission Point

[mjsmith1223]

If you are camping in the vicinity of Traverse City, MI and want a nice day trip, consider taking the scenic drive up Old Mission Point.  We did that on Saturday and had a ball.  We stopped at a U Pick cherry orchard and picked a bucket full of dark sweet cherries, had a picnic by the lighthouse (where many cherries were consumed - Yum!) and then explored the beach.  Another popular thing to do is to stop at the many wineries on the peninsula and sample the product in the tasting rooms.  I'm not really a wine guy and we had little kids with us, so we didn't do that.  Here are a couple of pics:

The lighthouse:



The beach:



The water was very low.  Still, we had fun.  There are some nice trails for a day hike around the point.  We skipped that part as our little girls (1 and 5) aren't really up to that yet.

Mike

[AustinBoston]

Always include the state.  People outside Michigan are not likely to know where Traverse City is.

Looks like a nice place...especially if you got some rain!

Austin

[haroldPE]

We were there last year - you're right, a nice day trip.  Took hikes with our 4 yo DD (have been hiking with her since she could walk) - nice trails, 3 or 4 miles long.  Tried to get to the beach, but the black flies drove us off that day - very hot.

We stayed at Interlochen SP, across from the music festival property.  Some nice little lakes, along with the campsites on Duck Lake.

[mjsmith1223]

Edited to include the state.

Yeah, some rain would be nice, but probably wouldn't affect the lake levels too much.  We need lots of snow up around Lake Superior next winter to start getting the lake levels back up in Lakes Michigan & Huron.

It was interesting to walk around on what is normally lake bed.  A person can see why a lighthouse was built there.  Ships kept running aground on that point on their way into Traverse City.

[A2SuperCrew]

That is a beautiful area of Michigan.  If you're looking for a nice resturant, be sure to check out Bowers Harbor Inn, a wonderful resturant in a big old mansion.  

A great place to camp is out on the end of the Leelanau peninsula.  Leelanau State Park We stayed there two nights a few years ago, and just loved it.  

[ForestCreature]

A great place to camp is out on the end of the Leelanau peninsula.  Leelanau State Park We stayed there two nights a few years ago, and just loved it.  

But  don't go when the grapes are ripe, the fruit flies will brive you batty.
We were there just after labor day a few years ago...fruit flies galore

[mjsmith1223]

Leelanau State Park is beautiful.  Another nice lighthouse as well.  Leland makes a nice side trip.  I'll try to get up there sometime soon to get some pictures.

[bonscott]

We've been to Mission Point many times.  First time we were there was back in 98 and the water level was more normal.  The lake came up to nearly where that fence is and the "island" off shore that you can nearly walk to now was basically under water.